Bed bugs are small nocturnal insects of the family Cimicidae that feed off the blood of humans and other warm blooded hosts. Bed bugs exhibit cryptic behavior, which makes their detection and control difficult and time consuming. This is particularly true for the common bedbug, Cimex lectularius, which has become well adapted to human environments. Other species of bed bugs are nuisances to people and/or animals as well.
While bed bugs have been controlled in many areas, such as the United States, the increase in international travel has contributed to a resurgence of these pests in recent years. There are many aspects of bed bugs which make it difficult to eradicate them once they have established a presence in a location. Accordingly, there is a need for effective traps to determine the presence of bed bugs before they become entrenched.
Adult bed bugs are about 6 millimeters long, 5 to 6 millimeters wide, and are reddish brown with oval, flattened bodies. The immature nymphs are similar in appearance to the adults, but are smaller and lighter in color. Bed bugs do not fly, but can move quickly over surfaces. Female bed bugs lay their eggs in secluded areas and can deposit up to five eggs per day, and as many as 500 during a lifetime. The bed bug eggs are very small, about the size of a dust spec. When first laid, the eggs are sticky causing them to adhere to surfaces.
Bed bugs can go for long periods of time without feeding. Nymphs can survive for weeks without feeding, while adults can survive for months.
Consequently, infestations cannot be eliminated simply by leaving a location unoccupied for brief periods of time.
While bed bugs are active during the nighttime, during daylight they tend to hide in tiny crevices or cracks. Bed bugs may therefore find easy hiding places in beds, bed frames, furniture, along baseboards, in carpeting and countless other places. Bed bugs tend to aggregate but do not build nests like some other insects.
Bed bugs obtain their sustenance by drawing blood through elongated mouth parts. They may feed on a human for 3 to 10 minutes, although the person is not likely to feel the bite. After the bite, the victim often experiences an itchy welt or a delayed hypersensitivity reaction resulting in a swelling in the area of the bite. However, some people do not have any reaction or only a very small reaction to a bedbug bite. Bed bug bites have symptoms that are similar to other pests, such as mosquitoes and ticks. It is not possible to determine whether a bite is from a bed bug or another type of pest; and bites may be misdiagnosed as hives or a skin rash. Consequently, bed bug infestations may frequently go on for long periods before they are recognized.
Bed bug infestations originate by a bed bug being carried into a new area. Bed bugs are able to cling to possessions and hide in small spaces, such that they may be transported in a traveler's belongings. As a result, buildings where the turnover of occupants is high, such as hotels, motels, inns, barracks, cruise ships, shelters, nursing homes, camp dwellings, dormitories, condominiums and apartments, are especially vulnerable to bed bug infestations.
Because of all the features of bed bugs described herein, bed bugs are both difficult to detect and eradicate. Professional pest removal specialists and pesticides are needed. It is necessary to remove all clutter and unnecessary objects from a room, remove bed bugs and eggs as much as possible through vacuuming, and apply pesticides to likely hiding areas. This type of treatment for eradication can be disruptive to a business such as a hotel. As a result, it is desirable to detect bed bug infestations as early as possible in order to begin eradication procedures.
The tiny, mobile and secretive behavior of bed bugs makes it nearly impossible to prevent and control an infestation unless they are quickly discovered and treated. Bed bugs have been found to move through holes in walls, ceilings and floors into adjacent rooms. Devices and methods for the early detection of bed bugs are especially needed in the hospitality industries.
While several attempts have been made to devise bed bug monitoring and/or capture devices in the past, these devices have, in general, not proven to be commercially effective. The present inventors have studied many aspects of bed bug behavior, and believe that one factor in the failure of such devices to desirably perform is the lack of an effective lure to attract bed bugs to the trapping mechanism.
Research has shown that carbon dioxide alone is an effective attractant to lure bed bugs to monitors and traps. Carbon dioxide can also be used with additional chemical attractants, to further enhance the effectiveness of the lures. There are a few carbon dioxide producing monitors commercially available which use pressurized carbon dioxide canisters, dry ice or yeast fermentation to generate carbon dioxide. The technology involved in delivering compressed carbon dioxide safely into a monitor is expensive. While dry ice is relatively inexpensive, it can be dangerous to handle, not convenient to purchase and only lasts for a few hours. Although generation of carbon dioxide by yeast fermentation is economical and safe, the preparation procedure requires mixing carefully measured amounts of yeast, media and water at a temperature of 20° C. to 30° C. in a separate carbon dioxide generation container which, if spilled, would be unpleasant to clean up.
It is well known in the art that certain acid base chemical reactions can generate carbon dioxide. For example, the reaction of citric acid with sodium bicarbonate in an aqueous medium produces carbon dioxide, however this reaction is relatively quick and the carbon dioxide is generated within minutes. Commercial products such as Alka-Seltzer® and Bromo-Seltzer® are examples of the fast reaction of citric acid and sodium bicarbonate when placed into water. In order to be useful in attracting insects to a monitor or capture device, carbon dioxide should be generated slowly for prolonged periods of time.
The present invention overcomes the above-identified problems by providing a long lasting carbon dioxide generating chemical composition using environmentally safe, nontoxic ingredients, without the addition of water, to economically produce a sufficient amount of carbon dioxide for a prolonged period of time in order to aid in attracting bed bugs to bed bug monitors and/or capture devices.